Deku Days
by Afgncaap5
Summary: Link sees for himself what a story can do when Hyrule's greatest legend begins to come true. In present and past he prepares for the fight, as a new dawn casts history into a new light.
1. Millenial Celebration

Deku Days  
  
By John Little  
  
Chp. 1: Millenial Celebration  
  
*****  
  
"Sing to the hero, on this day rejoice!  
  
He came to our aid when we lifted our voice.  
  
The plague, it has ended; the darknes is gone  
  
For the past is behind us, ahead a new dawn!"  
  
The crowd of festival goers applauded as the annual Deku Days celebration began with the traditional song of rejoice. Usually, the song would be performed by some local talent, such as Guru-Guru's memorable performance from a few years earlier or the local school choir's charming performance from the year before that. If the festival planners were feeling especially festive, they might spend the extra money to find some rare talent, such as the brief appearance of the Indigo-Gos slated for the coming year.  
  
But this was a special performance. The thousandth anniversary of the Deku Days celebration warranted no less than the entirety of the Temple of Time's choir, one of the most prestigious vocal music organizations in the known world. This song, impressive as it was, was just the beginning of the Deku Day celebrations.  
  
The normal marketplace stalls had been revamped for the occasion, with most vendors selling items of a more extravagant nature than normal. The crowd was a bit more diverse than normal, as well, with representatives of most races present. Among the primarily Hyllian crowd, there were Zora street musicians, Goran hawkers peddling fireworks, and even a few Gerudos who decided to lighten the pockets of some of the wealthier merchants. Most were just enjoying the fun, however, as every race considered this to be a great day of celebration.  
  
The one individual who didn't seem to be very festive, however, was The Hero Of Time, Link. The only one present with Kokiri clothing half-heartedly strolled from booth to booth, not really paying much interest to the majority of the sights and sounds. He seemed very interested in the productions that detailed the history of the day, though he appeared to be growing more and more frustrated as he moved from theatrical production to musical number to interpretive dance to puppet show.  
  
By noon, Link seemed to be very depressed. He found a seat near a dining booth, ordered a small snack (a "Deku Days Drumstick"), and sat down to eat. The casual observer might notice Navi, his fairy, occasionally flutter around to whisper things to him, before Link would just sadly shake his head.  
  
Before Link could finish his drumstick, he was spotted by Malon of the Lon Lon Ranch. "Link! How are you today?"  
  
Link looked up and half-heartedly smiled. Malon was dressed as usual, and looking as cheerful as ever. Just like everyone else did.  
  
"What's wrong, Link? You're the only one in town who doesn't look like he's having the time of his life! "  
  
Link paused and looked up from the dining table. Malon meant well. "This day's too important, Malon. And no one really knows."  
  
Malon sat down beside him. "We know that it's important, Link! Everyone knows that today is important."  
  
"No, that's not what I meant. I meant that no one really knows just why it's important."  
  
Malon looked at Link as if he was crazy. She looked across the street and could see two mimes who were clearly demonstrating the well-rehearsed history of the day.  
  
"Link, everyone's explaining it in the streets."  
  
"No, no they're not. Malon, do you know what those people are saying?"  
  
Malon just stared at Link, not sure how to take this. "Yes?"  
  
Link sighed and assumed a storytelling stance. "One thousand years ago on this day, a horrendous monster known as The Deku Man began terrorizing the entire land. No one could defeat this insane creature that seemed to crave only the destruction of the city. Not one member of any of the races was able to defeat The Deku Man."  
  
Malon loved this story, and was hanging on every word. Sensing this, Link stood to deliver the final half of the story more dramatically. "The Deku Man, however, finally met his match when a challenger known as The Knight Of The Dawn faced the danger. When The Deku Man had ruthlessly destroyed a quaint little flower shop after nearly a week of rampaging, The Knight Of The Dawn, finally realized that no one else knew the secret to defeating this monster. Knowing exactly what The Deku Man's weakness was, The Knight Of The Dawn attacked, leaving Deku Man to whither up into little more than a few twigs. Had The Knight Of The Dawn not done this, Deku Man might have easily destroyed the entire kingdom."  
  
Malon nodded vigorously. "That's exactly what we're celebrating Link! We're celebrating the defeat of The Deku Man! What more do you want?"  
  
Link started to talk but stopped. He looked visibly frustrated. He attempted to talk again, but he couldn't force the words out. Malon couldn't tell for sure, but Link almost looked like he was on the verge of furious tears. Whether or not this was the case she would never learn, however, as Link just stood up and stormed off.  
  
Malon watched Link leave, confused and a little hurt. "What's his problem?" she wondered.  
  
"It's not your fault."  
  
Malon quickly turned around to see Navi hovering in the air behind her.  
  
"Navi?"  
  
"You don't know. Today meant a lot to Link. In fact, it meant a lot to all of the Kokiri."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
Navi fluttered in silence, obviously torn between following Link and informing Malon. Navi's manners won out, and she chose the latter. "Come on. You should see something."  
  
And with that, Navi fluttered towards the Market's entrance towards Hyrule field with a very confused Malon following not too far behind.  
  
*****  
  
In the middle of the Haunted Wasteland, a lost horse was wandering.  
  
This horse had been trained by the Gerudo, but its rider had been injured during a caravan raid. The horse did not know that its rider had been safely taken back home, but it did know that it needed to return home before the sun set and the desert became too cold.  
  
Unfortunately for the horse, it was also hungry. It hadn't eaten since sun rise, and the sun was already beginning to set. The horse was on the lookout for any pieces of vegetation that might have somehow escaped the harsh conditions of the desert.  
  
The horse noticed something. Something very small....a plant! Possibly some form of large flower. A long brownish stem with a round, purple top. The horse approached and leaned down to nibble.  
  
The plant grew suddenly, its neck stretching out of the ground and seeming to grow in thickness! The top of the plant opened to reveal several sharp, deadly teeth. The horse barely had time to rear back to safety as the Deku Baba snapped at it. Instinctively, the horse began to quickly trot away from this strange plant, still hearing the chattering of its insatiable teeth.  
  
But a strange noise caused the horse to slow down. An intense rumbling from beneath the ground. The horse turned to stare in the direction of this rumbling, and saw this plant rising out of the ground. Growing both upwards and outwards, the Deku Baba stretched to over ten feet tall! The horse turned to run, not caring to see what would happen next, knowing that the Gerudo fortress could not be far away.  
  
Nothing bad had ever happened to it in the Gerudo fortress; it had no reason to think that something bad would happen to him now.  
  
*****  
  
Navi waited patiently for Malon to catch up with her. Navi was hovering by a large stone foundation not too far from Lon Lon Ranch, fluttering morosely over the ground. Malon finally caught up, panting for breath.  
  
"Okay. What's here for me to see?"  
  
"Do you see this small structure here?"  
  
"Yes. It's always been there."  
  
"Do you know what it is?"  
  
"Well,...." Malon thought about it for a while. Come to think of it, she'd never questioned why this was here. "No," she answered. "I don't have the faintest clue as to what this is."  
  
"This is where the Deku Man was buried."  
  
Malon stared speechless for a moment. "What?"  
  
"The Deku Man was buried here after being defeated by The Knight Of The Dawn. This structure was put together with the help of some very powerful magic just to ensure that The Deku Man could never escape from it."  
  
"How could he escape? He was dead, right?"  
  
"So were Bongo-Bongo, the Poe sisters and the Dead Hands that Link battled."  
  
Malon had to accept this. "Well, how do you know? Not one of the stories or songs I've ever heard tells us about this burial."  
  
"In the forest, we know more about this than you do."  
  
"How?"  
  
"The Deku Tree."  
  
Malon nodded. Link had told her about The Deku Tree. The wise, magical tree that started Link on his life of adventure, only to die in the process. The Deku Tree was certainly old enough to remember."  
  
"Anyway, why does this make today so important for Link and everyone else in the forest?"  
  
"Well, let me ask you some questions. Do you know what the Knight Of The Dawn's name was? Do you know what Deku Man looked like? Do you know much of anything outside basic skeleton of the story's plot?"  
  
"You know....I don't think that I do."  
  
"No one really knows some of the things about the Deku Days, Malon. You see, in the forest we celebrated Deku Days as well, but it wasn't nearly as festive as it is anywhere else. The Deku Tree would periodically tell us all stories years ago, you see. He instructed us in mythologies and fairy tales, all of those things. Most of the Kokiri saw them as special ways to pass the evening, but most of the fairies knew that The Deku Tree was telling actual history. The Deku Tree had been around to see so much history, that he was always able to think of something fresh and new."  
  
Navi paused, remembering the nights that had never been the same as of seven years ago. "The story about the Deku Man and the Knight Of The Dawn was always special for us. It was one of the only stories that began in the forest. Every time he told this story, which was only about once a year, he would always add a few more details. One year he told us about this grave that we're standing on. Another year, he told us that while The Deku Tree looked out for all of the good things of the forest, it was The Deku Man who organized all of the evil forest plants and creatures. But he never told us how the Deku Man was finally defeated. He always said, 'We can save that for another year.' As we were approaching the thousandth anniversary of the origins of the stories, we thought that the Deku Tree would tell us then. But he died just seven years before he could make it, So we never heard the last parts of the story."  
  
Malon's eyes widened. "That must have been terrible!"  
  
"It was! And now, the anniversary of the Deku Days celebration just reminds us about the Deku Tree, and all that he never told us. But two days ago, during a meeting, we realized that people outside of our forest might actually know how the story ends! We thought about it, and decided that Link should be the one to investigate. All of the true Kokiri children are nervous about leaving the forest, as you know. The celebration at your ranch when Ganandorf was defeated was the longest any of them had ever left for. The Akido Scrubs don't think about much aside from business, and probably wouldn't be able to concentrate on an investigative mission. The Deku Scrubs are practically xenophobes, we've only just recently gotten them to accept the Kokiri as forest natives. But Link, as a Hylian, can easily walk through Hyrule. We came expecting to find the answers to all of our questions and the ends to all of our stories. We thought that we'd find out how the Deku Man was finally defeated, or what the name of the Knight Of The Dawn was! But, much to our dismay, all that we found was that the forest people already knew ten times what the people outside of the forest knew. That's why Link was so depressed. He couldn't find anything that would give any semblance of closure to anyone in the forest. Now he has to go back to the Kokiri Village and tell everyone in the forest that no one out here can be of any help. It isn't going to be a very happy evening."  
  
After hearing this, Malon didn't know what to say. She just stood in silence while Navi floated in the air, both unconciously looking at the ground beneath them. After a while, Navi muttered something about needing to find Link. She had never thought about this as more than a holiday before. She could imagine what the people of the forest might be going through now, but only just. When the sun finally sat and the drawbridge began to rise for the day, Malon decided to go home.  
  
The festivities would last for another week. Perhaps she could cheer Link up somehow.  
  
*****  
  
Tobera stared at the Haunted Wasteland from her post atop the Gerudo Fortress' watchtower. She had been one of the unlucky few who had been ordered to stay at the Fortress while the majority of the Gerudo went to the Hyrule Castle Market to either "work the crowds" or to celebrate.  
  
"Oh, well," she sighed. "At least I've got a shift for the first day of the week. I can spend the rest of the week doing whatever I feel like."  
  
She stared at the vast desert, grateful for the surprisingly clear skies in that direction (or at least, clear compared to the seemingly perpetual sandstorms that usually came to visit each other for weeks at a time). However, for what was the first time in her years as a Gerudo Thief, she actually saw something unexpected approaching from that direction. Quickly pulling out her spyglass, she watched what appeard to be a horse racing towards their gate. A horse without a rider.  
  
Tobera wasted no time clapping her hands and activating the gate raising mechanisms. Any chance to get a horse was a chance worth taking. As soon as the horse ran through the gate, it began to close again. But not before Tobera noticed something much bigger appearing over the far side of the dune.  
  
She simply gaped at this thing, whatever it was. It had a head very much like that of the Deku Baba plant, but aside from a long neck that looked similar to a Deku Baba's stem the similarities faded. The rest of its body was constructed out of what appeared to be little more than loosely connected vines and sticks, segmented to give its body a vaguely human shape. This odd formation of plant matter almost looked like a puppet or a marrionette, thus making it appear even more unnatural than it otherwise might have. This appearance was heightened by the jerky, insect-like motions that it made as it moved across the desert sands. It was moving faster across the sand than most creatures could (probably due to how its feet distributed weight over the top of the sand).  
  
Tobera looked back to the fortress, not seeing anyone else outside at the moment. She pondered running to look for some sort of assistance, but knew that she had a duty to the post. Even if she had not thought of this, she was deprived of any reasonable chance for escaping when she realized that the creature was already at the closed gate, staring up at her.  
  
Tobera marvelled at this monster. It was over half as tall as the gate, maybe as tall as three-fourths of the gate. The Deku-Baba-like head could easily swallow her in one gulp. All of the sharp teeth would be useless on anything much smaller than a Peahat.  
  
Moving as slowly as she dared, Tobera attempted to reach for her crossbow, just two feet away on the floor of the watchtower. The weapon would obviously be useless against such a behemoth, but she felt that it certainly couldn't hurt the situation. However, her hand stopped short when the last surprise of the day came.  
  
The giant plant-creature opened its dangerous mouth, looked straight at Tobera, and said, "Open the door."  
  
Tobera stared dumbly for a few tense seconds. Again, the creature opened its mouth. "Open the door."  
  
Tobera took a deep breath, hoping that this was all just a dream. "Why?"  
  
"I have business in the field past this desert. I wish to cross."  
  
"You,....you want through?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well, um....I'm sorry, but I can't really let you in right now."  
  
"Oh, you can. I saw you let that horse in, so you can let me in."  
  
"I'm sorry, but I have orders to follow."  
  
The plant-creature seemed to grin, though the obvious sound of a growl could be heard from within its throat. "If you don't let me pass to conduct my business in the field, I may suddenly find that I also happen to have business right here in your fortress."  
  
Tobera managed to maintain a calm and collected expression, despite the rapidly ascending fear that she felt. She needed to protect the fortress, if possible. "I'm sorry, but I don't know anything about you. I don't even know your name! What makes you think that you can just barge around anywhere without any assurance that you aren't planning to attack the fortress anyway?"  
  
The giant plant-creature's grin increased, giving Tobera a very impressive display of its teeth. "They call me Deku Man....." 


	2. Cry Of The Forest

Deku Days  
  
By John Little  
  
Chp. 2: Cry Of The Forest  
  
Sneaking past the eagerly waiting Kokiri children was not the easiest task of Link's career, but it was certainly manageable. More difficult than sneaking past the guards in Hyrule Castle when he first attempted it, but less difficult than sneaking through the royal gardens of the Deku King when he was in Termina. He just wasn't up to talking to anyone tonight.  
  
Link crawled into the bed in his treehouse and looked around. He'd had the sense to move the cow out of the treehouse as soon as he could have a decent stable built for it and Epona, which cleared up room for a good number of other mementos. On one side of the room, he had set up a weapons rack for all of his fancier weapons. The Biggoron Sword and the Fairy Sword had places of honor, as did his gilded sword that was strengthened by the golden dust in the mountains of Termina and a few other weapons that he'd picked up over the years.  
  
There was a display case filled with masks, a remnant of his first trip to Termina. He'd sold many of the masks over the years (such as the Mask Of Truth, which he owned two of, and the Keaton Mask, which he had only been able to use once) to the Happy Mask Salesman, but made sure to hold onto a few for sentimental reasons. All four of his transformation masks, of course, as well as The Couples Mask, the Giant Mask, and any other masks that might potentially have some use in the future, were prominently on display.  
  
Along with these and other items from his adventurers, Link's house could really only be described as crowded. Link was comfortable with all of this around him, though, as many of these treasures had helped him through some very difficult times. He knew that one of the Kokiri might see his light on, so he quickly turned it off and went to sleep.  
  
Malon dove into the pool of water, narrowly avoiding the Deku Nut that had been shot at her. She quickly surfaced for breath and looked back at her attacker, grateful to see that the Scrub had chosen to sink back into its flower, and avoid Malon's presence.  
  
"I really need to carry a shield or something," she thought to herself as she climbed out of the far side of the pool. She had never navigated the Lost Woods or Forest Meadow before, but she was glad that the first Skull Kid that she met was willing to give her directions (after she agreed to sing for it).  
  
She continued to carefully stroll through the faux maze that led to the Forest Temple. While she didn't find it a simple task to sneak past all of the Deku Scrubs, she was relieved that many of them appeared to be either napping or apathetic to her presence. Both possibilities seemed to go against everything that she had ever heard about Deku Scrubs, but she decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth.  
  
She eventually found herself at the new staircase that granted entrance to the Forest Temple. As soon as she stepped onto the first stair, it began to rain. "Here's hoping that Saria's up," Malon muttered as she hurried through the front door.  
  
Princess Zelda awoke to the sound of thunder, accompanied by a torrential downpour from the sky. She ran to her window and looked to the Market located far below. It was still relatively early in the evening, so a few people were still conducting business when the storm began. No harm done, really, she thought. Most market stalls are waterproofed.  
  
As she was about to return to bed, there was a soft knock at her door. "Come in," she called, prompting the door to swing open. Impa stood on the other side of the door, looking very concerned. "Princess, there is an urgent matter that requires your attention."  
  
Though Malon had never been inside the Forest Temple before, she found it to be surprisingly easy to navigate. When Saria became a full-time Sage she had worked hard to make the place more welcoming for people. This meant removing nearly all of the dangerous creatures that lived within the temple, making a few architectural revisions to permit easier access to the more capricious chambers, and setting up small signs for visitors.  
  
The greatest help in navigation, however, came from the torches that lined the hallways. Malon went with the simple strategy of following paths that had lit torches and avoiding those that didn't. That way, even if she couldn't find Saria, she could find her way back to the entrance.  
  
The one problem that she hadn't forseen was the rain storm. The distant sounds of thunder and pouring rain made the already eerie Forest Temple seem much more malicious. She made it a point to find Saria as quickly as possible.  
  
"No one knows Link better than Saria," Malon had mused earlier. "She'll probably know what he's going through better than anyone, so if anyone knows what it'll take to cheer him up, it'll be her."  
  
Malon passed through a door and found herself in the large entrance chamber again.  
  
"Okay, the torches don't help."  
  
Malon wandered to the center of the room, near a strange four-pillared structure wondering what to do. She began to pace, looking around the dimly lit chamber, wondering just where to go next.  
  
"If I were Saria," she mused, "I'd definitely stay somewhere that would be easily accessible. And I'd keep the lights on....but I've ruled out all of those places...."  
  
Her pacing moved her to the exact center of the structure. She didn't have much time to continue pondering, however, as the structure quickly sank beneath the floor, taking her with it.  
  
"Princess Zelda, I do apologize for meeting at this late hour, but I felt that it was urgent."  
  
Zelda blinked in surprise to see Rauru, the Sage of Light, waiting for her in the Throne Room. She had barely seen the reclusive Sage since Ganandorf was sealed in the Sacred Realm. Only an occasional meeting with the other Sages, such as when Link had vanished a few months earlier during the Kidnastoff fiasco.  
  
"Rauru? What's the matter?"  
  
"A surprising magical energy, Princess. A very strong force or presence simply appeared in the Haunted Wasteland just a few hours ago, shortly before sunset. And it's moving towards us. Quickly."  
  
Zelda nodded. This didn't sound like quite the disaster that she had been anticipating, but she could certainly see why it would warrant Rauru's concern. "Do you know anything about it?"  
  
"No I don't. This is what concerns me."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I just sensed it appear. I couldn't tell where it came from, or even what direction it was coming from! As if there was no spatial component to its travel."  
  
"So this is something that doesn't move as we would. Could it be Ganandorf? Is it possible that he found a way of escaping?"  
  
Rauru frowned, shaking his head. "No, not Ganandorf. He's in another plane of reality, but it's still this reality. Even if an entity were to pass through an entire parallel dimension that would still constitute as movement in space. This presence was moving through time."  
  
Malon stepped out of the stone elevator before it could rise again, looking around nervously. She was in a large circular chamber with odd stone protrusions sticking out of the walls. She was definitely creeped out by the scenery, though grateful for the fact that it seemed to possess its own unseen source of light.  
  
More disturbing, however, were the sounds. The lightning from outside, while distant, seemed to reverberate surprisingly well this far beneath the ground. Along with this there was a distinctive moaning sound. The moaning seemed to exist all around her, though she knew for a fact that she could only hear it coming from the open passage directly before her.  
  
Malon crept steadily towards the passage, desperately wishing that she had taken up Link's offer of basic combat training. She soon found herself at the foot of a staircase that turned as it progressed towards the upper area, preventing her from really seeing anything clearly. She could vaguely make out a few paintings on the walls of the room above her, but she couldn't see anything beyond that.  
  
She silently made her way up the stairs, wanting desperately to run in the opposite direction. Something just wasn't quite right about the general mood. The eerie, persistant moanings were a fairly accurate tip, naturally, but there was something else.  
  
As she reached the top of the stairs, she found herself on a large, circular platform, surrounded by a gate and large pictures. The pictures themselves were striking, most depicting an eerie, moonlit road, but other (and from the look of them, more recent) paintings depicted dramatic forest scenes. The paintings themselves were not what caught Malon's attention, however.  
  
In the very middle of the platform was Saria. Dressed, as always, in Kokiri green, she was lying on her back. Her eyes were wide open, and glowing a darker shade of green. Saria also turned out to be the one responsible for the moaning, her face contorted in what looked like a cross between confusion, despair and anger.  
  
More surprising was the fact that she was floating about three feet above the ground.  
  
Author's Note: Sorry if this story feels edgy and rushed at times. I took far too long to write this chapter due to the end of my school year, and as a result this chapter is the product of several "fits" of writing as Lewis Carroll might have said (though there's no mistaking the fact that he's a much better author than I am). 


End file.
